Hair business is down, but not out, as clients cut back

Clients are cutting back on the extras like full foils or highlights, but they still want to cover the gray roots and get a haircut.

Allison Manning

Skip the foils. Forget the lowlights. Just cover the gray roots. Hairdressers are hearing more of those instructions lately. Recession or not, hair salon clients regard a cut and color as a necessity. But hairdressers say customers are cutting back on the extras and stretching the time between appointments from four weeks to five or six.

That can add up, considering the $16 billion in sales the 80,000 U.S. hair salons generate each year, according to a First Research industry analyst report.

Salon owner Joe Molino said salons are considered a “recession-resistant” business, but sales are still down.

“They’re going to stretch it, but they’re not going to go around with gray regrowth (roots),” said Molino, who owns Hair Imports at 739 Chief Justice Cushing Highway (Route 3A) Cohasset. “They might give up their nails, but the hair is among the last things.”

Women who have been paying big bucks for their ’do are beginning to look elsewhere for a more reasonable price.

“They’ve come from places where they’re spending even more and the work isn’t what they’ve wanted,” Molino said.

At Lisa’s Hair Design at 196 Union St. in Rockland Center, owner Lisa Ingalls has also been feeling the recession.

Ingalls’ mother founded the Rockland Beauty Center at the same location in 1968, next door to John’s Barber Shop, her father’s business. Ingalls took over in 1981. Her husband, Paul, now runs the shop next door.

But all that experience hasn’t kept her immune from the economy. Her expenses now exceed her income.

“In my 27 years, I’ve never seen it so bad,” Ingalls said.

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Salon Serode owner: I’d rather get by with less than lose customers

A woman can spend hours in the stylist’s chair, and the chit-chat these days often turns to money.

Michael Serode, owner of Salon Serode at 3 Columbia Road in Pembroke, said clients are going longer between appointments or eliminating some of the extras.

He’s trying to make budgeting a bit easier for them by discounting the bill or throwing in a free haircut.

“I want them to be 100 percent beautiful all the time,” Serode said. “I care more about how she looks than I do the money. I’d rather have them back in and do it for less.”

He said small gestures can go far with clients, letting them know that they are his priority, not how much they are paying.

“In this business, it’s personality,” said Serode, who has been cutting hair for 17 years. “They’re your friends, and you’ve developed a relationship.

“If you start a business because it’s what you love to do, and you love your clients, you can get by with 20 percent less.”

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Clients turn to Hingham stylist to get most for the money

Clients trying to get the most from their hair-salon dollar should turn to their stylist for the best advice on what changes in hair-care regimen will work, according Andrew Zona, owner of Andrew Zona Studio at 65 South St. in Hingham.

“If they’re really considering changes, they take the lead from us and go from there,” he said.

BY THE NUMBERS

9,025 registered salons in Massachusetts

62,563 registered cosmetologists

1,377 registered barbershops

4,473 registered barbers

Source: State Division of Professional Licensure

Women aren’t likely to let their hair go completely natural, but small changes in their treatment can help reduce the number of necessary appointments, saving money, Zona said.

“Highlights add dimension to the hair,” he said. “If you have dimension in the hair, it’s softer. That’s how people tend to stretch appointments.”

Simple things like teaching a client how to properly use a product they’re buying can also help, he said.

“If they’re going to be investing the money, you want to teach them how to use it without wasting it.”

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Norwell barbershop owner is hanging on, despite recession

When Doug Pagnani opened the Norwell Clipper Barbershop 16 months ago, there probably weren’t many people predicting the huge downturn the economy wound up taking.

Although business is growing every month as more people find out about the shop at 334 Washington St. (Route 53), Pagnani, who’s been cutting hair for 33 years, said he’s seen a definite drop-off in trims for kids.

“It all trickles down,” he said. “If the father doesn’t have a job to go to, haircuts can wait.”

Pagnani has promotions like the “kids club” – get 11 haircuts and the 12th is free – and had a Hanover youth hockey “cut-athon,” He opened the shop on a Sunday and gave a percentage of the day’s revenue to the league.

“You’ve got to be a part of your community if you’re a barbershop,” Pagnani said.

Despite the poor timing, Pagnani said he doesn’t regret opening his shop after 15 years in Hanover.

“Even my worst day, owning is better than working for someone,” he said.

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